Means for utilizing liquefied gases as motive power.



No. 672,256. Patented Apr. I6, 5905. G. A. BDBRICK. MEANS FOE UTILIZING LIQUEFIED GASES AS MOTWE POWER.

(Application filed Sept. 26, 1900.) {No Model.)

3 Sheets--Sheet Wlzwsw: mJ Ww%;aw

I N0. 672,256. 7 Patent-ed 'A'pr. I6, 190i.

G. A. BUBRICK.

MEANS FOR UTILIZING LIQUEFIED GASESAS MDTIVE POWER.

(Appliation filed Sept. 26, 1930.) V

' 3 Sheets-Shae1i 2.

(No Model.)

No. 672,256. ,v Ratanted Apr. l6, l90l.

a. A. BDBRBCK;

MEANS FOR UTILlZING LIHUEFIED GASES AS MOTIVE POWER.

(Applicatiun filed Sept. 2 6, 1930.) (Ho Modal.) 3 Sheats$heat 3.

Ill

Winesses. v

' PATENTL'QFFEEH f e a el. nonnioie or, Los AncELEjs, CALIFORNIA.

M EANS Fe R UTI mzlue Lieu Era an; GASES ,AS- n OTIVE POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,256 dated April 16, 1901.

' Application tied September 26,1900. terminating. on. model.)

. To all whom it may concern.- 7 Be it known that I, GABRIEL A. BOBRICK, a citizenof the United States, residing at Los Angeles, .in the county of Los An'geles and State of California, have. invented-certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Utilizing Liquefied Gases'as a Motive Power, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the drawings accompaflying-and forming a part of the same.

The object which I have in view in the development of the invention upon which my present application is based is the utilization under thoroughly practicable conditions of liquid air or other gas as a source of motive power for the economical operation of stationary engines, the propulsion of vehicles, .and all other purposes in which the expansion of a gascan be profitably converted into mechanical power.

he apparatus which I have devised for ."carrying out the invention was especially de-' signed to utilize liquid air, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbonic-acid gas, and as either of them may be regarded as typical of those gases which it is mainly my object to employ I shall confine the description of the improvements to liquid-air engines, although it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the use of this medium alone. q The invention consists in a machine or apparatus whichis constructed or combined for operation in accordance with a certain princip1eviz., the withdrawal from a reservoir of liquid air of the liquid itself in amounts proportionate to the work to be performed and'the production of the reqnired'pressur I by the expansion of such withdrawn liquid in contradistinction to the plan of utilizing the expansion of a considerable body of liquid due to itsgradual tion of heat from the surrounding medium and tobringing it to the temperature of'the surrounding; atmosphere or heat it artificially to a higher temperature.

To this end the improvement involves the combixiation, with a receptacle for-containing liquid air, and'which for convenience may be designated the' boiler, and an engine or motor, of connections one from above and the other from below the level of the liquid 'in .ceptacle for containing the liquid air.

air.

evaporation by the attrac-- said boiler to coils or chambers into which the liquid is expanded before reaching the engine, these parts being so arranged that .thequantity-ot' liquid flowing into theex pander is determined by the dilference in the pressure in said expander orstorage-tan-lc and in the boiler. The invention also involves numerous features ofconstruction which will be morefully described by reference tq the accompanying drawings.

Figure lisa perspective view, with parts of the body removed, of an automobile equipped .with an engine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of,-the essential parts of the said engine. 3 is an end view of the same. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the boiler or re- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing .amodification of the invention. 4

Referring to the three figures last named, A designates a receptacle which I term the boiler, of any suitable capacity, made capable of withstanding high pressure and care fully insulated by a jacket B, of any proper. material which is a good no -conductor of heat. An opcningcovered by'aiscrew cap C- is provided for the introductiomof the liquid From the boiler lead two pipesD and E. ,The former opens into the upper portion of the interiorabove'the level of the liquid, while the latter extends down nearlyto the bottom of the space in which the liquidis contained. a ,In both pipes D and E are valvecouplings and valvesF G, by meansot which the channels aiforded by the pipes may be varied at will. Beyond said valves the two pipes unite before entering an expander, which preferably consists of a cylinder H, surrounded by a return-coil ii, the inlet being at the bottonrand the outlet at .the'top,

from which the coilH leads backaround the cylinder. The expander II. is preferably contained in a tank O, containing water, brine, or a solution of calcium chlorid, although it may be surrounded by any other medium from which heat in proper amounts and at the desired rate may be abstracted. From the expandera pipe leads to acoil I, which is exposedto the atmosphere andin which to being controlled by a throttle-valveL';

"the airis further expanded by theh'eat of the atmosphere. The coil I connects with a storage-tank J, either directly or through a vapor-heaterK,'which is or may be a coil Y 5 preferably inclosed' byacylindricahcasing Ki, as indicated in'Fig. 3, and adapted to'be heated by a lamp or otherwise, From the storage-tank J a pipe leads to the engine, (designated by L,) com munication therev viiltih e engine exhausts into ail-ordinary mnfi'ier M.

It will be understood that the boiler andv I "storageaank will be provided with safety- 'valves and the usual pressure-gages.

The method of operationofi the apparatus is as follows: When'a given quantityoi liquid air has been introduced into the boiler and the violent ebullition produced by the 2 heat taken up from the walls of the latter has ceased, the evaporation vof the liquid con tinnes, but at such a slowrate' as to render its utilization impracticable,"even in cases Where uniform press'nrejis not desirable, If,

therefore, the valve G. be closed, only. a low pressure can be produced inthe storage-tank;

but if the valve G be opened and Ival've Ii closed or partially-closed the pressure above 'the'liquid forces a small quantityjof the lat-l ter up through the pipe E and into the expander, where it iscenve'rte'dinto a gas and develops ap'res'sure which will increasein proportion'tothe volume ofliqnid which on ters the expander-J 1 g The apparatus should beso constructed that the expandedair "in the storage-tank is maintainedat'approximatelythe atmospheric temperature, and this result will be secured by using a volume of ivater'orcther liquid in the tank approximately equal in heat units 40 who imparted to the liquid air to transform it into a gas at about 32 Fahrenheit. The pressure is regulated and maintained at any point desired by the valves 1 and G. As has beenbet'ore explained, opening F and closing G reduces thepressure, and con versely, and so by the relative adj nstrne'nt of the two almost, any pressure within the' i101; mal limits of the apparatus may be steadily maintained Until all of the liquid air in the boiler has been expanded and utilized in do .ingworkz" t Bysup'erheating the air, asis well under stood, greater eflic'iency will be secured; but the super-heater may housed or not, as de--* siredg j e In orderito obtain a more rapid expansion ofthe air, and consequently higher pressure, the exhaust maybe led through a coil Pinto and'th rough the" boiler.,- This is shown in Fig. 5, Where the pipe leading to the said coil isshown as provided with a three-way cock R, by means of uwhich any desired proportion of the exhaust-air may be directedthrongh the coilP. I

*' The above-described means of utilizingliqmid air as a notive power lends itself readily to the propulsion of vehicles, although it may heap'plied' to many'other purposes; As an illustration of the manner' in which I have. used such an engine I have showd i-tin-Eig; 7'0 '1 as mounted on a vehicle. such as is commonly styled an automobile. The p'rinci-' pal'parts of the apparatus being designated by the same lettersof reference as those used on the corresponding elements in the remaining figures, the illustration requires node'- taileddescription to enable it to be clearly understood.

The invention is not limited to the special construction or arrangement of the devices shown and described for-purposes of illustramany particulars, 1

tion, as these may be varie dxand modifiedin 'What)I.olaim-is- Y W j 1. The" combination. withaclosed receiver; for liquefied airor as, of. an engine ormo tor,an'expander in rmediatetothe said receiver and themotor and-connections between the i receiver andexpander, one leade- -ing from above. and the other frombebw the 6 level of the liquidcontainedin the receiver, the lasbnamed connection. l being adapted to permit the transfer-[oflliqnid from the re. ceiver to the expander. only when-the 131768:- sure in th'ereceiver exceeds :that inthe expaiiriler and controlling-waives in;both. con-f nections, as setforth, i

2. Thecombination with a closed receiver for containing liquid air'or other gas,of. an engineer motor, an expander-and a store-gee 10c tank intermediate to fiiesaid receiver and the motor, and connections between the receiverand expanderone leading from above andthe other from below the level of liquid inithe receiver, the lash-named connection being r05 adapted to'ipermit the transfer of liquid-from the receiver to the expander :only when the pressure in the receiver exceeds thatin the expander, and controlling-valves in, both connections, as;setforth.v v

3-. The combination with a closed receiver for containing liquid air or other gas, of'an i expander-,two pipes connecting the receiver and exfpandenone leading from above the level Of-a liquid in the receiver, the other leadit; I inggfroln below,'and extendinglto a, point above said le'vel,'and controlling-valves, in each pipe,

asset forth. f- A. The combination-with aclosed receiver 'for containing liquid air'or other gas, of Y an r20 expansion chamber. or coil, connections between the receiver and coil one leading from 5; The combinationwith a closed receiver for containing liquid air, ofanexpander sur 1 3 rounded by a body, sucha's water or other liquid of a high specific heat, a coil'connccted therewith and exposed to the atmosphere, a storag -tank for the expanded air, and conereese.

nections between the receiver and the expander, one leading from. above the level of the liquid in the receiver, and the other :i'rein below said level, but adapted to permit the transfer of liquid from the receiver to the ex.-

pander only when the pressure in the former exceeds that in ihe latter, as set forth.

6. The combination with a, closed receiver for containing liquid air, of an engine or notor, an expander intermediate to the engine and the receiver, connections between the receiver and the expander, one loading from above the level of the liquid in the reeeiver, and the other from below said level, but adapted to permit the transfer of liquid. from the, receiver to the expander only when the pressure in the former exceeds that in the GABRIEL A. BOBRICK.

Witnesses:

DRURY W. COOPER, M. LAWSON DYER. 

